Whenever we need the Demon Twins to come inside, the Partner In Crime grabs a straw and bnlows through it. It sounds like the horn of Gondor from LOTR, so he calls it the "Straw of Gondor". The boys come running every time.

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Good news! Your insurance company says they'll cover you. Unfortunately, they also say it will be with dirt.

At my Mom's old house, she refused to let anyone oil the hinge on the back door. The cats could hear it and would come running. She had trained them to do that with bits of sliced deli turkey. It worked much better than "Here kitty, kitty."

At my Mom's old house, she refused to let anyone oil the hinge on the back door. The cats could hear it and would come running. She had trained them to do that with bits of sliced deli turkey. It worked much better than "Here kitty, kitty."

What happens if you are just taking the trash out or walking out to the car? It seems this would undo the cats' training because sometimes they would be rewarded and sometimes you might get in the car and drive off.

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"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."

At my Mom's old house, she refused to let anyone oil the hinge on the back door. The cats could hear it and would come running. She had trained them to do that with bits of sliced deli turkey. It worked much better than "Here kitty, kitty."

What happens if you are just taking the trash out or walking out to the car? It seems this would undo the cats' training because sometimes they would be rewarded and sometimes you might get in the car and drive off.

I sing my cats a song when I feed them which I think is to the tune of I Want Candy but I have no musical sense so it could be to something else entirely, it basically goes "Who wants din-ner, dum de dum dum dum, <cat one> and <cat two>". The other song is to the tune of Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep (Where's your mama gone?) and it goes "Who's a pussy cat? You're a pussy cat" or "Who's a pussy cat? <cat name> the kitten is".

Also, conversations with Chloe tend to go like this:Howl from bedroom: "MeeeeeeYOW!"DH: "What?" *Pets cat, tells her she's pretty, goes back to computer*Howl from doorway: "MeeeerrYOW!"DH: "WHAT?" *Pets cat more, gives her some skritches, goes back to computer*From directly underneath the computer chair: "MEeeeeerrrOWWWW! MeeeerrOWWWW!"DH: "WHAT?! Cat, seriously, what do you want?" *Husband is now fully disengaged from the computer*Meaningful look: "Meeer!"*Cat walks away to bedroom, plonks her butt back on the bed.*DH follows and gives her a fifteen minute cuddle and some treats."Purrrrrrrrrrrr"

This happens at least twice a day. Nine pound cat wins the shouting match with the football coach every time. I'm pretty sure she thinks she's the wife and I'm the pet who takes up too much of the bed.

Also, conversations with Chloe tend to go like this:Howl from bedroom: "MeeeeeeYOW!"DH: "What?" *Pets cat, tells her she's pretty, goes back to computer*Howl from doorway: "MeeeerrYOW!"DH: "WHAT?" *Pets cat more, gives her some skritches, goes back to computer*From directly underneath the computer chair: "MEeeeeerrrOWWWW! MeeeerrOWWWW!"DH: "WHAT?! Cat, seriously, what do you want?" *Husband is now fully disengaged from the computer*Meaningful look: "Meeer!"*Cat walks away to bedroom, plonks her butt back on the bed.*DH follows and gives her a fifteen minute cuddle and some treats."Purrrrrrrrrrrr"

This happens at least twice a day. Nine pound cat wins the shouting match with the football coach every time. I'm pretty sure she thinks she's the wife and I'm the pet who takes up too much of the bed.

Izzy has the same "words" with DH, sometimes adding standing in front of his moist cat food dish, or banging on the closet door where he knows we keep the cans.

I know that the events in Boston are ABSOLUTELY nothing to laugh at but something this morning did make me smile a little.

Since early in the morning the city has been under lockdown. People were told to not leave their homes and to lock their doors. Businesses were instructed not to open. The public transit system was shut down.

However, a doughnut shop near the police command area was allowed to open.

I don't know what it's like in other countries but, in the US, police officers, doughnuts and coffee are as close as the Three Musketeers.

I had to laugh at one of the newscasters. They were talking about explosives, and instead of calling them IEDs he kept referring to them as IUDs. I was laughing so hard I was crying.

I know that the events in Boston are ABSOLUTELY nothing to laugh at but something this morning did make me smile a little.

Since early in the morning the city has been under lockdown. People were told to not leave their homes and to lock their doors. Businesses were instructed not to open. The public transit system was shut down.

However, a doughnut shop near the police command area was allowed to open.

I don't know what it's like in other countries but, in the US, police officers, doughnuts and coffee are as close as the Three Musketeers.

I had to laugh at one of the newscasters. They were talking about explosives, and instead of calling them IEDs he kept referring to them as IUDs. I was laughing so hard I was crying.

Hahaha!! When I was thinking about talking to my doc about getting an IUD, my DH jokingly told me to be sure she knew I wanted an IUD, *not* an IED!

At my Mom's old house, she refused to let anyone oil the hinge on the back door. The cats could hear it and would come running. She had trained them to do that with bits of sliced deli turkey. It worked much better than "Here kitty, kitty."

What happens if you are just taking the trash out or walking out to the car? It seems this would undo the cats' training because sometimes they would be rewarded and sometimes you might get in the car and drive off.

Still worked. We almost never went out the squeaky door as the steps were in bad shape. It was strictly the "kitty" door. To get to the garage we went out the kitchen door.

Things not to laugh at: When you see your mother is eating while not watching the cat, and the cat manages to leap up on her lap and not only steal a french fry but knock one down for the dog too... bad cat.... LOL

Things you REALLY should not laugh at (but can't help): When your mother is eating her supper at one end of the table, and the cat comes running, and leaps onto the table, thinking he'll stroll over for a bite, but instead hits a loose placemat, and goes sliding (I swear it was in slow motion) into Mother's plate, as she looks on in frozen horror, as the plate+cat+supper go careening into her lap....

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My cousin's memoir of love and loneliness while raising a child with multiple disabilities will be out on Amazon soon! Know the Night, by Maria Mutch, has been called "full of hope, light, and companionship for surviving the small hours of the night."